Teaching Text

Matthew 4:18-22

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Sermon Recap

This Sunday, guest preacher Dr. Wanda Walborn continued our FOLLOW series with a teaching on obedience from Matthew 7:21–27. She opened with the memory of her own wedding vows. Forty-two years ago, she chose the words of Ruth over the traditional promise to "love, cherish, and obey," because obedience had come to mean control rather than love. She suggested that many of us carry the same distortion into discipleship. We welcome Jesus' grace but hesitate at obedience because we've seen the word abused. Scripture presents it differently. Obedience is not the loss of freedom but the way we learn to trust a good Father.

Teaching from Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders, Dr. Walborn observed that both houses faced the same storm. The difference was the foundation that had been quietly formed long before it arrived. She described three characteristics that strengthen that foundation: integrity, consistency, and grit.

Integrity is choosing what is right even when no one is watching. Consistency is the quiet work of forming habits that become spiritual reflexes when life grows difficult, and grit as passion and perseverance over the long haul. For the disciple, that means continuing to become more like Jesus until we see Him face to face.

Dr. Walborn closed where she began. Just as years of experiencing her husband's love reshaped her understanding of obedience, our view of following God is transformed as we discover that He is for us, not against us. She left the church with one practical invitation: ask the Lord for one habit to practice this week that will strengthen the foundation of your life.